Ergonomics are important for recreational and utility vehicles, such as snowmobiles, ATVs, utility vehicles, and personal watercraft (PWCs). Often, a single rider may wish to ride in a variety of styles. Further, a single vehicle may be operated by several different riders over the course of its useful life. These riders are frequently of different heights and sizes. For example, a single vehicle may be operated by both a generally smaller female adolescent and a generally larger male adult.
Additionally, it may be desired to use the vehicle to transport a driver and a passenger in an in-line arrangement (i.e., longitudinally spaced). From an ergonomic standpoint, the position of steering members, such as the handlebars and the steering post, the height of the seat, and the position of the footrests relative to the driver and/or passenger are important. Handlebars that are too close or too distant, or at an inappropriate height, a seat that is too low, or footrests that are too far from the seat may provide an inadequate fit for a driver and/or passenger or may render the vehicle unsuitable for a particular riding style.
Growing popularity of ATVs has lead to a demand for more two passenger or “2-up” ATVs having in-line seating that can safely and comfortably carry two riders. As detailed below, current “2-up” ATVs typically utilize a longer wheelbase than single rider ATVs. It is desired to prevent ATVs from tipping over either frontward or backward during longitudinal ascent of a grade or longitudinal descent down a grade. General stability guidelines have been provided for ATVs that suggest that an ATV and its passenger or passengers should be able to remain stable, i.e. not tip over.
Existing ATV stability guidelines are provided in ANSI/SVIA-1-2001 (Approved Feb. 15, 2001) entitled “Four Wheel All-Terrain Vehicles—Equipment, Configuration, and Performance Requirements”, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein. Proposed stability guidelines for 2-up ATVs are provided in ANSI/12AMA X-XXXX (Draft Jan. 19, 2004), entitled “Draft American National Standards for Four Wheel Two Person All-Terrain Vehicles—Equipment, Configuration, and Performance Requirements”, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein. The proposed 2-up ATV stability guidelines indicate that longitudinal stability requires that the 2-up ATV reach a minimum angle of 36 degrees about a tilt axis perpendicular to the ATV longitudinal axis, with either end of the ATV positioned downhill, before tire lift-off occurs. The proposed 2-up ATV guidelines further provide that lateral stability requires that the 2-up ATV reach a minimum angle of 25 degrees with either side positioned downhill, before tire lift-off occurs. Most ATVs designed to carry a single passenger do not meet the aforementioned stability guidelines when a second passenger is seated behind the driver due to a shift in the center of gravity of the combined vehicle and riders. Most current ATVs designed to carry two riders have a longer wheelbase than a corresponding single rider ATV to satisfy the aforementioned stability guidelines. The added length allows the ATV to comply with the stability requirement when a passenger is present, however it may add weight and be more difficult to maneuver, particularly in limited space.
According to an illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, an all-terrain vehicle capable of transporting a driver and a passenger includes a frame, a pair of front wheels operably coupled to the frame, a pair of rear wheels operably coupled to the frame, and a wheelbase being defined between the front wheels and the rear wheels. A straddle type seat is supported by the frame and includes multiple longitudinally spaced apart rider seating positions, wherein the wheelbase is less than 52 inches.
According to another illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, an all-terrain vehicle capable of transporting a driver and a passenger includes a frame having longitudinally spaced-apart ends defining a longitudinal axis of the vehicle, a plurality of wheels operatively coupled to the frame, an engine supported by the frame, a straddle type seat supported by the frame, and a handlebar assembly moveable between a first position and a second position along the longitudinal axis. The first position of the handlebar assembly defines only a first driver seating position on the seat. The second position of the handlebar assembly defines a second driver seating position and a passenger seating position on the seat.
According to a further illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, an all-terrain vehicle includes a frame including longitudinally spaced-apart ends defining a longitudinal axis of the vehicle, a plurality of wheels operably coupled to the frame, an engine supported by the frame, and a straddle type seat supported by the frame. A footrest is supported laterally from the seat and includes a forward wall. A steering column is movable along the longitudinal axis of the vehicle from at least between a first position approximately 3 inches behind the forward wall to a second position approximately 1 inch in front of the front wall.
According to another illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, an all-terrain vehicle includes a frame having longitudinally spaced-apart ends defining a longitudinal axis of the vehicle, a pair of front wheels operably coupled to the frame, and a pair of rear wheels operably coupled to the frame. A straddle type seat is supported by the frame, and a footrest is supported laterally from the seat. The footrest includes a forward inner portion with a downwardly angled toe section, and a forward outer portion with an upwardly angled toe section.
According to a further illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, an all-terrain vehicle capable of transporting a driver and a passenger includes a frame, a plurality of wheels operatively coupled to the frame, an engine supported by the frame, a straddle type seat supported by the frame, a footrest supported laterally from the seat and having a platform, a passenger foot support, and a coupler removably coupling the passenger foot support to the platform.
According to another illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, a vehicle includes a frame, a straddle-type seat mounted to the frame for a driver, a passenger seat surface positioned rearward of the driver, and a footrest positioned along the side of the vehicle and longitudinally disposed and profiled for the feet of the driver and the passenger. The footrest includes a removable pedestal riser positioned for the passenger for raising the height of the passenger foot area.
According to yet another illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, an all-terrain vehicle includes a frame, a plurality of wheels operably coupled to the frame, an engine supported by the frame, a seat supported by the frame, and a footrest supported laterally from the seat and having a platform. The platform defines a driver foot position and a rider foot position, wherein the footrest has a length of less than approximately 17 inches.
According to a further illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, an all-terrain vehicle includes a frame defining a longitudinal axis, a plurality of wheels operably coupled to the frame, a drivetrain supported by the frame, and a controller operably coupled to the drivetrain. A seat and a movable backrest are supported by the frame. A backrest sensor is in communication with the controller and is configured to detect the position of the backrest relative to at least one of the seat and the frame. The controller controls operation of the drivetrain in response to input from the backrest sensor.
According to a further illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, an all-terrain vehicle capable of transporting a driver and a passenger includes a frame having longitudinally spaced-apart ends defining a longitudinal axis of the vehicle, a plurality of wheels operatively coupled to the frame, an engine supported by the frame, a rear seat supported by the frame, and a front seat supported longitudinally in front of the rear seat. The front seat is configured to pivot relative to the frame for providing a lower level step through for a passenger.
According to another illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, an all-terrain vehicle capable of transporting a driver and a passenger includes a frame having longitudinally spaced-apart ends defining a first longitudinal axis of the vehicle, a plurality of wheels operatively coupled to the frame, an engine supported by the frame, a rear seat supported by the frame, a front seat supported by the frame, and a suspension system coupled between the rear seat and the front seat and configured to permit the front seat and the rear seat to pivot relative to each other to lessen the effects of rough or uneven terrain.
The above mentioned and other features of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention itself will be better understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. Although the drawings represent embodiments of the present invention, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and certain features may be exaggerated in order to better illustrate and explain the present invention.